The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has reported that the Taliban`s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice launched a series of crackdowns in Kabul and Herat between July and September to enforce the group`s strict dress code for women and girls, resulting in dozens of arbitrary arrests and detentions.

According to AnsarPress, UNAMA`s Human Rights Service documented several cases of such arrests in a report published today.

Between July 16 and 19, Taliban police and morality officers in Kabul arbitrarily detained at least 60 women and girls accused of violating hijab regulations imposed by the group.

The report states that the women were held for several hours to overnight, and were released only after male relatives signed written guarantees pledging that the women would comply with Taliban dress rules in the future.

UNAMA also reported that between September 15 and 19, Taliban morality officers in the Shi`a-majority Jebrael Township of Herat set up checkpoints to order women to wear the full-body chador (veil).

A week later, Taliban agents arrested several women in the same area and released them only after their male guardians brought veils for them and signed pledges of compliance.

UNAMA noted that the Taliban`s enforcement of its "virtue and vice" laws is often arbitrary, and that these practices have had deep and harmful effects on the daily lives and basic freedoms of Afghan citizens.

Under the Taliban`s Virtue and Vice Law, a woman`s voice is classified as *‘awrah`* - something considered "immodest" - and women are forbidden from being heard in public.

The law also imposes strict regulations on men, including rules on dress, grooming, and beard length, reflecting a broader campaign by the Taliban to control every aspect of public and private life in Afghanistan.

Human rights observers have described these actions as a systematic violation of women`s rights and human dignity, warning that the Taliban`s continued policing of morality has institutionalized gender-based persecution across the country.